Steve Simms's Blog, page 299

Mobilizing For His Mission

Team Jesus is missional — #thewholeworldmobilizing. The way to grow in Christ is to go into action for Christ. Team Jesus trains and mobilizes everybody (not just preachers) to login to Jesus-wifi. In Team Jesus, everyone gets online with Christ & then does what He tells them to. When we set aside our programs & let the risen Jesus, Himself, lead us, He will mobilize all God’s people in amazing ways!

[image error]

Let’s mobilize Team Jesus to transform our neighborhood, our city, our country, & the world!

The risen Jesus is the Team Owner, General Manager, and Head Coach of Team Jesus. Team Jesus doesn’t put on a performance; it surrenders to Christ’s presence.

Team Jesus is “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation.” Team Jesus is “filled with knowledge & competent to instruct one another.” (Romans 15:14) Christ working in & through the Jesus Team is “the hope of glory!”

The Jesus Team is a Christ-led support group. It’s a forum for Him to speak through and use anybody He wants to. In Team Jesus, ordinary people are eloquent.

Try Team Jesus @ The Salvation Army Berry Street Worship Center in Nashville, TN. Berry Street visitors are always amazed how Jesus can lead a meeting all by Himself. The early Salvation Army was an invigoration & reformation of Team Jesus. Let’s do it again in our day! Read more about Team Jesus here.

 

Hope for disillusioned church goers . . .

To disillusioned church goers


Longing for a home and


Feeling like the road is closed,


Trapped in a religious system


Of controlling words about God,


The good news cries out:


“Jesus is alive and


Wants to be your guide;


Step out of the norm


And follow Him now.


His still, small voice


Will lead you well!


Move beyond church as usual


To the Jesus team and


Experience the body of Christ


(The Greek New Testament


Concept of ekklesia)


Working as one, like fingers on a hand,


All being directed by the living Head.”



[image error]

When the road to your spiritual home seems closed, the book “Beyond Church” can show you the way.

Available in Kindle or paperback @ this link.

A Cowboy in a Red Kettle / A Titan’s “one explanation”

“There is one explanation for why that ball went in and it’s because it was the Lord’s will for it to go in. Glory to God. What a day. You could give me 10 kicks from there and I don’t know if I could make one, honestly, in the weather and the cold and just kicking a frozen football.” –Ryan Succop after kicking the game winning field goal in the Tennessee Titans / Kansas City Chiefs game.

On the same day a Dallas Cowboy, Ezekiel Elliott jumped into a huge Salvation Army Red Kettle after running for a touchdown. Elliott said: “In warmups I saw it sitting there right by the end zone and I was like, man somebody’s got to jump in there. So I just had to do it.”

Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, said: “The Salvation Army should give him the highest award.” As a Salvation Army officer, I agree. The name Ezekiel in Hebrew means God strengthens. Thank you, Ezekiel Elliott, for bringing national attention to our Kettles and strengthening our efforts to show people the love of God!

Both Ezekiel Elliott and Ryan Succop saw their opportunity to be used by God and jumped right into it! Perhaps you and I should do the same!

 

 

[image error]

Teamwork With Jesus

“On this rock (of supernatural revelation), I will build My team.” –Jesus

“Go and make disciples (build Jesus Teams) of all nations.” –Jesus

There are no bench warmers on the Jesus Team.

Team Jesus meets in a new, old fashioned way (1 Corinthians 14:26).

Jesus Team members are transparent. You can see Christ living in them!

The Jesus Team doesn’t doubt. They know Christ has a great thing going!

The Jesus Team doesn’t play games. It changes lives, heals hurts & sets people free!

Team Jesus transforms everyday people into game changers!

Join the Jesus Team — daily follow and obey Coach Jesus!

Find a Jesus Team where people are free to challenge & inspire one another.

Team Jesus shares leadership. The New Testament refers to plural leadership, not singular.

Theology is a road map. Team Jesus helps us follow the map to the living Christ.

Team Jesus goes beyond telling people what to do, to showing them how to do it and then allowing them to do it!

The Jesus Team trains people, it doesn’t entertain people.

Team Jesus pursues God’s vision and avoids division.

In Team Jesus people feel safe to share their struggles and their short comings.

The Jesus Team is a collaborative group, interacting and working together to grow strong in Christ and demonstrate His love.

Without teamwork, the Jesus Team is an oxymoron.

The Jesus Team overflows with honest communication, loving conversation, and heart-felt community.

Team Jesus is built on interpersonal bonding with the risen Christ and with one another.

If you are a member of the Jesus Team, get off the pew and play your part!

The success of Team Jesus depends on how well people pull together to obey the risen Christ.

Radical statements about the team Jesus builds

In the first century, Jesus built a team that “turned the world upside down.” In the twenty-first century, He wants to do it again! Why did Jesus build a team of disciples? Because teamwork makes the Gospel work! It’s amazing what Team Jesus can do, when nobody cares who gets the credit. A small Jesus Team can be more effective than a big religious organization.

Team Jesus is about group effort: “When you come together each one of you has . . .”(See 1 Corinthians 14:26.) The Jesus Team chooses teamwork over one man’s ego. A Jesus Team learns to depend on Christ working in and through one another.  The strength of the Jesus Team lives in each member; not just in 1 ordained member.

No one person or organization has ownership or exclusive claim to Team Jesus! The Jesus Team lets the risen Jesus lead us. It’s not under mere human control. Team Jesus meets together to work together, not to watch someone else work. There is no teamwork when individuals are reduced to mere spectators.

Team Jesus, working together, empowers ordinary people with extraordinary results. Members of Team Jesus lay down their personal desires for the good of the team!  No individual can play a Jesus symphony. It takes a whole orchestra! Team Jesus carries each other’s burdens and shares one another’s joys!

Team Jesus is a group of people all obeying one Savior! Team Jesus sees every individual as a valuable carrier of insight and inspiration. Team Jesus doesn’t belittle people who think and/or act out of the box. Working together in Team Jesus, you always have others standing with you! The Jesus Team empowers people with boldness. It doesn’t make them passive.

There’s no harmony if only 1 person is allowed to make a sound & the rest are silenced.  Silence isn’t always golden. The Jesus Team tries to avoid required silence because making people sit quietly and listen sometimes quenches the Holy Spirit.Team Jesus goes beyond individual performance, releasing the gifts of all.

No one man is as capable as a Jesus Team hearing & obeying Christ together. One man alone can be pretty dense, but bringing our insights together wisdom soars. Team Jesus multiplies effectiveness by opening the meeting up to everyone’s input. Preaching isn’t a solo sport, even if you’re called “the preacher.”

It’s easy to make church a one-man performance. It’s hard to be a Jesus-team! Team Jesus has never been tried and found to fail, however, we have seldom tried it.

[image error]

Experience a Jesus Team @ The Salvation Army Berry Street, 225 Berry St., Nashville 37207 on Sundays @ 10:45 am. Read about Jesus teams @ this link.

Beyond church to Team Jesus!

For Team Jesus, everyday is gameday! Are you a player on Team Jesus or a spectator on the sideline? Let’s meet to all collaborate with Christ, not to be a passive audience.  There is no “me,” “my,” and “I” in Team Jesus! Listening to a sermon we can do little. Ministering one another we can do much! No preacher’s as wise as all the members of a congregation. Let the members speak. In Team Jesus, no single player is bigger than any other player!

Team Jesus is a community where the least are considered the greatest. Individuals get off track. Team Jesus balances each other out. Team Jesus holds each other mutually accountable to live Christ-like lives.

[image error]

Alone we’re one Christ-follower. Obeying Jesus together we’re the body of Christ. Coming together to hear a talk is easy. Christ calls us to meet together as a team! Revival transforms a church from an audience into a high-performing team. Maybe church could let people talk to each other, instead of 1 man talking at them. The Jesus Team needs team players; not one man shows!

Churches are good teams on paper, but the game is played by loving one another. A team won’t work well when only one member can speak and the rest must be silent. (A term paper with only 1 source gets an F. Perhaps church needs more than 1 source.) Perhaps it’s time for pastors to make church less “me” and more “we.”

The Jesus Team meets to root for each other and watch each other grow in Christ. Team Jesus isn’t one person doing all the talking. It’s everybody obeying Jesus. Team Jesus loves, teaches, ministers to, supports, and encourages one another. The Jesus team learns from each other’s experiences, wisdom, & words.

To get back on your feet, turn your back on self and pursue the risen Christ! Team Jesus is called to put fire in people’s souls, not just words in their minds. Effective Christian leaders don’t produce passive followers. They make more leaders. Are you a playmaker on the Jesus Team? What are you doing to make Team Jesus powerful in your city?

Here are two ways to learn more about Team Jesus: 1) Get the book Beyond Church: An Invitation To Experience The Lost Word Of The Bible–Ekklesia available in paperback or Kindle at this link; and 2) Visit The Salvation Army Berry Street on Sundays at 10:45 am., 225 Berry St., Nashville, Tennessee 37207.

Catchy sayings for church bulletins

Here are some of my original thoughts that you may (or may not) want to put in a church bulletin:

Don’t keep doing what isn’t working to give you peace. Make a U-turn to God.

Hostile words hold us hostage to hate. Hopeful words help us heal our hurts.

The invisible man (the you hidden in your body) is the vital part of who you are.

Nobody really knows who you are inside but you and God. R U who U say U R?

Words can roar like a line from an Old Testament prophet: “The heart is deceitful.”

How’s your effort in life’s most important category–your relationship with God?

Christianity’s not a theory taught by theological talks–it’s Christ living in you!

If you want to feel Jesus, begin to talk lovingly about Him. Feelings will follow.

To achieve great success, but fail in your relationship with God, is failure.

By putting rules & rituals around Jesus, we often miss the reality of His presence!

Christmas is God’s big announcement. Are we listening?

How fun to be with a group that is open to the leading of the Holy Spirit!

Should church be spontaneous, creative & out-of-the box? “We are fools for Christ.”

When Christ-followers listen to God together & share what they heard Jesus shows up!

Church meetings are so tightly controlled, there’s no room to be “fools for Christ.”

When Christ-followers begin to work as a team of equals, Heaven moves among them.

We need to let Jesus lead — to lay down our agenda and simply follow Him!

When the body of Christ gathers all the parts should work together obeying the Head!

Do we need this sign in church? “INTERRUPTIONS BY GOD WELCOME!”

Why do we always want a speaker when Jesus, Himself, is speaking to us?

Power flows when Christians meet & let the risen Jesus rattle around in our midst.

The body of Christ is not a monologue. http://amzn.to/2hOEcVu

Simply having a Spirit-led testimony time = the New Testament concept of ekklesia.

You can’t drink milk from a sealed carton . . .

There’s nothing like the moment when Jesus becomes real in your heart! Heaven is invading human hearts! Has your heart been conquered by Christ?

Jesus will put the sing in your soul! The most effective way to alleviate stress & angst is surrender to the risen Jesus.

Jesus said: “Follow Me,” not “Follow a program.”The risen Jesus is better and more effective than any church program. Seeing Jesus lead an unprogrammed meeting, is a compelling reason to believe in Him.

Unlimited possibles abound when ordinary people are allowed to share from the heart. When Jesus in me connects with Jesus in you, it’s ekklesia! (http://amzn.to/2gy6h27) To assemble a picture puzzle (and Christ’s body) all the pieces must be involved.

You can’t drink milk from a sealed carton. Let’s let the “milk of the Word” out of the sealed box of religion. God’s not something to understand and categorize. He’s Someone to adore & obey!

What’s in you is more important that what’s around you. Is Christ in you? If Jesus isn’t actively working inside of you, perhaps He isn’t in you. Religion works on the outside of people. Jesus works from the inside out.

Anybody can obey his/her own desires, but it takes great courage to obey Christ. There’s more to life than meets the eye, more than science can see.

[image error]

Is it time to cut the religious parachute?

By making Christianity a formality, we took the power out of it. (2 Timothy 3:5) Shallow Christianity is like shallow breathing–minimal breath’s not enough!

Jesus makes ordinary moments extraordinary & turns everyday people into emissaries! No need to be stuck who & where you are. Jesus will change your life if you let Him. Don’t settle for a slow drip when Jesus promised inner rivers of living water. My spiritual battery charger is Jesus. Without Him I quickly lose power. Christ’s not a religious parachute. He’s the very meaning of life!

Sight–the eyes have it. But insight comes from listening to Christ in your heart. Void of God, secularism succumbs to emptiness, triviality, & meaninglessness.

When we talk about Jesus people should hear excitement in our voice! Why should people be more excited about their favorite sports team or rock band than we are about the living, resurrected Jesus Christ?

Perhaps it’s time to cut the religious chute and put all our heart and trust in Jesus! Need help cutting the chute? This will help you!

Who are the best ministers?

ARE ORDINARY PEOPLE THE BEST MINISTERS?

I turned on the TV today and there was Johnny Cash

Staring in an old episode of “Little House on the Prairie,”

Playing an ordinary man pretending to be a preacher.

His down to earth and unconventional style

Got a depressed & dying woman to joyously sing with him;

Cheered up a little girl crying over her dead puppy;

Inspired people to generously help one another;

And spread compassion and love everywhere he went.

Perhaps everyday people are better at genuine heart-felt “ministry”

Than professionals are and that’s a good reason to go

“Beyond Church” as usual! http://amzn.to/2hazP9U.